Chaos Chronicles: Origami
by Crimson Elemental Alchemist
Summary: The 1st story in a series. While in the hospital for intensive care, a young woman wanders down a dark corridor in the middle of the night. There she comes across a holding cell from which a sultry voice calls out to her.... EnvyxOc
1. Down the West Wing

_Disclaimer: I do not own _Fullmetal Alchemist_. I do however own the OCs that show up throughout this story . . . they're kind of random so it'd be a pain to name them all, but the main character is . . . well, you'll see._

_Crimson: **stares at disclaimer** Well, hell. Do I even remember the main character's name? Crap . . . . **runs off to search for rough draft**_

_Envy: **Sweatdrops** Looks like she's a _little_ out of it right now. **To readers** This is going to take awhile. _

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**Chapter One–**

**Down the West Wing**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

A dark red color played on the back of her eyelids as a young woman came to. Groggily, she turned her head away from the offending light of the sun as it streamed in through a huge window. Her nose twitched at the unfamiliar scent of the bed sheets she lay upon. A combination of curiosity and unease got the better of her desire to slip back into the comforting, dreamless sleep she had just been pulled out of. Fluttering eyelids revealed her dark-brown eyes, dull from the experiences of the night before. Trembling arms pushed up underneath her in an effort to give her a better view of the surroundings, but they just crumpled beneath her weight (even though it wasn't much). She groaned out loud as her head hit the overly-stuffed pillow she had just risen from.

"Charity?" an unknown voice registered in her hazy mind. Her eyes snapped to her left, catching sight of an elderly man entering the room through an open door. Charity felt her heart leap to her throat when she saw the long, white coat he had on. Her gaze instantly traveled to his neck and her stomach dropped horribly at the sight of the gleaming stethoscope hanging there. It couldn't be . . . . She hadn't . . . .

"Ah! You are awake," the doctor remarked after acknowledging Charity's stare. He smiled kindly down at her, trying not to look too grim so as not to frighten her even more. His gentle expression and smooth, white hair reminded Charity strongly of someone's grandfather. Immediately, she felt herself calm down at such a welcome thought.

"What happened?" she asked in a raspy voice, barely above a whisper. Charity cringed at the pain speaking brought, but didn't miss the grimace on the doctor's features at the innocent question.

"Well, Charity," he began, "you experienced quite a shocking attack yesterday . . . ." he trailed off, unsure of how to say the rest. Charity raised an eyebrow in question, her previous fear and shock subsiding as her mind cleared. "We aren't sure exactly what caused the failure, but your body quite literally shut itself down. From what the witnesses say, it sounds like it started with your lungs. You began breathing heavily and clutching your chest. It could have been your heart, however, we found no abnormalities–" He cut off his own explanation when he noticed Charity shaking her head, clearly telling him to quit. He nodded in understanding, and, after an awkward pause, turned around and walked out of the room.

Charity remained where she was, lying in the hospital bed as she mulled over her predicament. She remembered the "attack", but she had blacked out before it had gotten too painful. Raising a thin arm over her eyes, Charity suddenly desired only to sink back into the dark realm of sleep. She pushed out the sounds of scuffling feet and urgent voices coming from outside her little room. Ignoring the myriad of strange scents floating into her nostrils, Charity allowed a dreamless sleep to consume her once more.

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"Ugh," Charity moaned as she woke up. The arm covering her eyes had fallen to the mattress since she had rolled over in her sleep. Darkness greeted her tired eyes as she opened them, staring straight at the curtained window. Soon realizing where she was, Charity immediately sat up. She regretted the sudden movement soon afterwards when her vision blurred and her head spun wildly. Pulling her legs close to her body, she hugged herself tightly and waited for the moment of dizziness to pass. When it finally did, she looked up to take in her surroundings. She could sum up the room in one word: simple.

The walls, the ceiling, and even the floor were just a plain white. Up in the right-hand corner was a small, black television meant to relieve the room's occupant of utter boredom. The huge window on her right (currently blocked by a heavy white curtain) took up the majority of the wall. During the day it would allow as much "healing" sunlight as possible. A small, wooden table stood at the end of her bed, piled up with get-well cards, flowers, and small gifts.

Charity's eyes widened at the display. Who had done all that? None of her family members lived anywhere near her. She mentally grimaced at the thought of all her friends and family members worrying about her. She would have to call them the next day to make sure they wouldn't try to get all the way here. She'd have to let them know that all was well. Even if that may not be true . . . .

Her brown eyes glanced sideways and caught sight of the open door on her left. Instantly she straightened her spine and a curious spark entered her eyes. Pushing the white covers off her, Charity slipped from the hospital bed. Steadying herself against the wall for a moment, she took in a deep breath and then moved forward. A triumphant grin played about her lips as she felt strength return to her legs. It was slow, of course, but she could still feel her body ceasing its uncontrollable shaking.

Taking quick but silent steps, the young woman swept from the room. The hallway was dimly lit–just enough light to see her way but not enough to make out details (such as the writing on the panels to each room) in the dark shadows. Confusion clearly etched across her face, Charity looked down the stretch of hallway to her right. It appeared to get lighter further down; muffled voices easily making their way to her sharp ears. She involuntarily backed away from them, not wanting to make contact with anyone quite yet, and definitely not wanting to get caught out of her room. Her head turned to her left and her eyes had to squint down the shadowed hall just to make out the far-off corner where the corridor apparently turned sharply to who-knew-where.

Adventurous spirit burning with anticipation, Charity set off down that dark hallway. Her bare feet padded softly over the cold tile of the hospital floor. She quickened her pace as her heart raced in her chest. Passing wide open yet empty rooms, the female adventurer kept her eyes and ears open for anything that looked or sounded interesting. After a few moments, she made it to the part of the corridor where it veered off to the right. Her spirits lowered at how dull everything had looked thus far. Even her body had started to feel drained of precious energy. Still, she didn't want to return to that uncomfortable hospital bed quite yet.

Her eyes glanced up to look down the previously-hidden hallway. Shock made itself known on her face as she stared in disbelief down the lighter corridor. A brighter light–still not as bright as daylight–shone not far off down the hall. Its soft beams fell on a sign hanging from the ceiling just overhead. Charity ignored the words on the sign, shivering lightly as she confidently entered the ward. Her soft footfalls still remained quite muffled, but she couldn't help but feel that she stood out quite easily in this brighter area. Her heart jumped at the sound of a creaking bed. Black hair flew wildly around her as she swung to her right where the noise had issued. She shivered visibly at the sight of the closed, iron door. A huge padlock hung underneath the doorknob, provoking a sense of unease within Charity. That unease however was nothing compared to the gush of emotions at what came next.

"Oh my," came a sickly-sweet voice. Charity felt her breath hitch in her throat at the seduction in the tone. "What a cute, little, lost kitten we have here." Violet eyes watched her from the bars in the upper-most part of the metal door. A sadistic smirk curved the pale lips of the room's sole occupant. "Don't you know this wing is 'forbidden'?" the person asked, enjoying the way the question made her squirm uncomfortably.

Opening her mouth to retort, Charity remembered the pain from before when she had tried to speak. She pressed her lips together and decided to shake her head instead at the question, her distrusting eyes never leaving the ones of the speaker. A mischievous glint sparked in the violet gaze, and Charity found herself wondering why. She saw the "prisoner" stick a slender hand out the bars and motion for her to come closer. Preoccupied with her jumbled thoughts and fatigue clouding her better judgment, Charity did as directed. Her fingers splayed over the cold iron of the door, serving to support her weight as she leaned on it tiredly. Still she kept herself as far from those long pale fingers as she could, but she failed to correctly calculate the person's reach.

With a jolt, Charity felt the warmth of those fingers grip her chin and pull her closer to the bars. She hadn't the strength to break free and then she felt warm lips caress her own. She froze at the intimate contact, a crimson blush stealing over her cheeks. Expecting the breathy kiss to end rather quickly, she gasped when the man (Goddess-willing he was a man for her sake) crushed his lips to hers. His tongue invaded her mouth when she gasped, exploring her unique tastes. Charity felt herself shiver in pleasure at the texture of his tongue as it ran over her own. Even as she moaned involuntarily, she remained still, unable to pull away with his grip still on her chin while unsure of how to react otherwise.

The male pulled away first (obviously, considering Charity couldn't) and smirked in a self-satisfied way. "Well, that tasted pretty good," he remarked casually, releasing her from his grasp. Charity could only stare in shock at his amused violet eyes, appalled at what had just transpired. "What? Do I have something on my face?" he asked, hand running over the smooth, white skin as if seeking anything out of place.

His voice brought Charity out of the trance-like state she had been in. She backed up several steps before running into the wall opposite the holding room. With her back pressed against the white plaster, Charity kept her eyes trained on the man behind the iron door. She couldn't move, the adrenaline that had run through her body just moments before when the man had held her in a passionate kiss had drained her of what little energy she had left. Hell, it was a stroke of luck that she could still stand! Her rapid breathing escalated at the memory and her face warmed up to near-unbearable degrees.

"So . . ." the imprisoned male drawled, a feminine note ringing in his voice, "just who exactly are you? And how did you get all the way here without the docs catching ya?" His tone sounded bored, as if he was only speaking to her to pass time. Charity felt her face heat up even more, this time in anger. Who was this guy? And why the hell had he kissed her?!

Ignoring his questions, Charity voiced her own. "Who are you? Why are you here?" she asked in a raspy tone. She kept the grimace off her face at the slight discomfort she felt in her chest as she spoke. Catching the frown on the male's face, she pinned him down with as great a glare as she could muster. She huffed when the guy's frown turned into an amused grin. Glaring had never been her strong suit.

"The name's Envy. I suggest that you remember it," he replied, returning her weak glare with his far more-chilling one. Charity ignored the piercing glower, unafraid of the ferocity behind it. He _was_ behind bars after all. She didn't notice how his violet eyes traveled over her, dropping their display of ferocity to study her intently as she rolled her own eyes in exasperation.

Envy frowned in disappointment at the unwavering spirit of the girl. He was throwing out so many things to make her run in the opposite direction, but here she stood, demanding answers out of him! _'Hm. She may prove useful_,_'_ he thought to himself, already formulating a plan. His thoughts returned to the situation at hand when he heard the girl's impatient voice.

"Well?" the young woman asked, waiting for his answer to her second question. She bit back an irritable growl at the baffled look she received. "Why are you here?" she repeated patiently, sighing tiredly after she asked. This man had already begun to wear her out.

"You first," came the simple reply. Charity glanced at him in question. Now_ she_ was the one baffled. A sly grin passed over Envy's lips as his violet eyes watched her reaction. _'She looks so cute when she's confused_,_'_ he smugly thought to himself.

"Charity," the girl mumbled, lowering her eyes to stare at her feet. She couldn't say anymore, too embarrassed about the situation. She didn't hear the man speak for awhile so she glanced up to see what had happened to him. She blinked a few times, unsure of what she was seeing. Envy's face had disappeared. Nothing but darkness greeted her from the spaces in between the iron bars.

Curiosity overriding her suspicions yet again, Charity hesitantly approached the heavy, metal door. Trembling slightly at the memory of what had happened before when she had gotten too close to the bars, Charity brought her face near enough to peek into the room. Her dark eyes saw only the black shadows of the little room. No lights were on in the room; not even the ethereal light of the moon shone in it–the architect had obviously not seen fit to place a window in the holding cell.

Unperturbed by the seemingly-empty cell, the girl sought other means to identify the location of the room's occupant. Seeing as how her eyes had become an unreliable source of information, Charity decided to revert to her hearing. Closing her eyes tightly and slowing down her breathing so as to focus entirely on the sounds issuing from behind the iron door, she waited patiently. A few minutes had passed before her normally-endless patience suddenly ran out. An angry growl erupted from her throat when she realized that Envy had become completely silent, somehow even controlling his breathing to the point where her sharp ears couldn't pick it up.

Fatigue and a growing pain in her chest making her completely irrational, Charity snapped open her eyes and focused on the padlock hanging beneath the doorknob. She grinned impishly, pulling out a black hair pin hidden in her long, dark hair. Taking hold of the gleaming lock in one hand, she began fiddling with the mechanism. A combination of desperation to know if she was going insane and of a desire to find out more about this interesting man pushed her to use her escape artist skills. After a few long and excruciating moments, the lock snapped open. Sweating heavily at the effort, Charity grinned in self-satisfaction. She removed the lock and set it on the floor seconds before falling onto her back as the door she had been resting on swung inward. She looked up in confusion and instantly blushed.

Envy grinned down at her, reveling at the crimson tint spreading across the girl's features. He squatted down at her head, pinning her arms to the cold concrete floor of his holding cell. "Thanks for letting me out of this mini-Hell, but it won't do any good," he drawled, grinning despite his remaining imprisonment. "I'm still trapped," he nodded to his left and Charity's eyes traveled over to his arm, catching sight of a thin metal band on his wrist. She looked back up at him in question, jumping when she saw how close he had moved to her.

"You smell pretty good," he commented, bringing his face to the nape of her neck and breathing in the scent of rainwater mixed with roses. His tongue flicked out to lick away a drop of sweat marring her skin. He savored the salty taste as he chuckled at the shiver he felt from beneath him. "You scared yet?" he asked with a sadistic smirk on his flawless face as he pulled back to observe what devastation he had hopefully wrought. His amused grin fell into a frown when he noticed, not the fear he had been expecting, but the anguished expression of someone in great pain.

Charity's breathing came in ragged, shallow gasps. Her body convulsed fiercely, remaining in place thanks only to Envy's inhumanly strong grip. Sharp pain lanced through her body repeatedly, threatening to rip her apart. Charity had to bite down hard on her bottom lip to force herself not to scream as what felt like knives sliced her from the inside-out. Crimson blood dripped down her chin as her teeth punctured the thin skin of her lips. Terror built up inside her, its icy fingers clutching her rapidly-beating heart as Charity realized how her "simple situation" had turned into a raging monster. Just when she thought her heart would give out, everything stopped. The pain abruptly left her body, returning to its crouched position and readying itself for its next chance to pounce. Darkness obscured the edges of her vision when she opened her eyes. A dull ache spread throughout her body, a familiar sensation for anyone who has ever had a heart attack. And for some reason, there was a sweet taste in her mouth . . . .

"Damn," she heard Envy's voice curse quietly, his tone exasperated. "You're going to be a handful, kitten."

She dimly felt someone's arms underneath her throbbing body, carrying her somewhere. Her dead weight soon sank into something warm and soft as she felt herself lowered down onto it. A heavy blanket settled over her, trapping the heat of its newest occupant to radiate over her suddenly-cold body. A severe shiver ran through her regardless of the blanket, her low body temperature failing to keep her warm enough even with the added heat already in the bed. Another aggravated sigh issued from somewhere above her. Charity felt the mattress sink heavily to one side as she desperately tried to fend off an oncoming wave of sleep. An arm draped itself over her trembling form, effectively halting her inner battle as an unnatural heat pressed close to her. She lay on her side, trying to blink past the shadows impeding her vision but to no avail. Another arm snaked underneath her, completing the embrace as the one holding her pulled himself even closer to her chilled body. Her body temperature began to rise as Envy's own warmth began to affect her. The bright-red blush appearing along her cheeks and traveling down her neck helped an awful lot in that area as well.

As the combined body heat soothed the dull ache throughout her, Charity floated on the verge of sleep. Fighting to stay awake out of fear that she would never wake up, the young woman flipped over on her other side. With her clouded head, she had completely forgotten that Envy had crawled into bed with her, and she now faced him. Not that she could really see him–darkness still obscured everything–but she could feel his hot breath fanning her face. Fear froze her in her place, staring at what she could see of the man next to her as her mind went blank. She bit back a gasp as she felt his arms tighten possessively around her, drawing her tightly against his lithe form. Trembling at what she hoped was unease at the close contact, Charity nonetheless settled up against him, hoping that he would wake her up if something were to happen to her in the middle of the night. Her last thought before she entered the realm of dreams concerned the sign she had seen earlier before entering the lonely corridor. Those two words reverberated through her mind as darkness consumed her: _Psychiatric Ward_.


	2. The Midnight Hour

_Disclaimer: I do not own _FullMetal Alchemist_. I do own Charity and the doctors, etc._

_Crimson: Wow . . . I finally updated . . . ._

_Envy: It's about time, too. You're so slow._

_**Five minutes later**_

_Crimson: No, I'm not!_

_Envy: **sighs** Read on!_

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**Chapter Two–**

**The Midnight Hour**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Charity snuggled closer to the warmth her body felt as she floated in a blissful dreamland. No red glares from a certain gaseous orb in the sky pulsated on her eyelids, like usual, rudely waking her up in the wee hours of morning. She gladly allowed the infinite darkness to encompass her as she slipped in and out of consciousness.

"Time to wake up, kitten," a feminine voice breathed warmly down her neck. Charity shivered and burrowed deeper into the tangled bed sheets. The voice sighed in exasperation. Someone's arms picked her up–sheets and all–and cradled her securely to their warm chest. She blurrily cracked open one eye, catching sight of dark hair and gleaming violet eyes hovering over her. Charity immediately fell back asleep, leaving Envy the chore of carrying her back to her room.

"Such a handful," he complained as he kicked his cell door open as quietly as he could. He could only go so far with the metal cuff on his wrist, so he hoped that the girl's room was somewhere nearby. Judging by her emaciated frame, he didn't think she could wander very far on her own. No doubt, she had ventured outside of one of those rarely-used hospital rooms close by his lonely wing. The load he carried in his arms groaned at the sudden lighting in the hallway, instinctively burying her face into his shoulder. A smirk played over his pale lips at the note of discomfort coming from the unconscious girl. Well, it had taken a whole night, but, finally, Envy had succeeded in causing some bit of unpleasantness for his new pet.

"No light," his load groaned against his skin. Her lips moved tantalizingly against his shoulder, reminding Envy forcefully of how she had tasted late last night.

His spiky, green hair fell over his shoulders as he forcibly shook his head, trying to rid those perverted thoughts from his usually-sadistic mind. Focusing his thoughts, instead, on trying to find the girl's room based on trial-and-error, Envy padded silently through the halls. It didn't take long for him to pick up the subtle scent of fresh rain and roses cloaking a particular room. Glancing around the simple hospital room, he noticed the pile of get-well gifts and the disheveled sheets on the normally-pristine mattress. As he came closer to the bed, the pleasing smell belonging to his "kitten" grew stronger. It clung to the fabrics of the coverlets. This proved that this room was Charity's.

As gently as he knew how, Envy dropped the half-asleep girl atop the unmade bed. With a displeased frown, he noticed that the girl didn't even wake up at the sudden fall. He sighed before turning around to walk out of the room, leaving his own white sheets wrapped tightly around Charity. He seemed to be sighing a lot tonight. He pondered this as he reached the doorway. With one last glance back, he noticed that the girl had cracked one of her chocolate-brown eyes open. He chuckled when he realized that she was giving him her best glare.

"See ya later, kitten!" he blew a kiss at her before disappearing back into the darkness.

Charity–still half-asleep–briefly thought about chasing after the intriguing male, but sleep lulled her back into its loving embrace. Yawning widely, she took in the scent of Envy from the sheets still wrapped around her scrawny body. With his smell clouding her nostrils, she drifted off into slumber. Her dreams were filled with the odd boy, but one in particular caught her interest. She dug imaginary nails into it, intent on keeping it with her for further observation in her waking hours.

Glaring red symbols. . .two blonde teens. . .and a gigantic door. . . . What did they all mean?


	3. The Other Side

_Disclaimer: I do not own _FullMetal Alchemist_. I do own the OCs that show up in this, such as Charity._

_Crimson: ^.^;; I haven't updated for a LONG time. . . . Oops._

_Envy: OOPS? THAT'S all you've got to say?_

_Crimson: Well, sorta. I also just came up with a really good idea about where this story is heading^.^ _

_You're all going to love it (I hope)! You, Envy? I'm not so sure. . . . Depends on how you view the situation. . . ._

_Envy: O.O What is it?_

_Crimson: You'll have to wait to find out! It won't be for a few more chapters!_

_READ ON!_

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**Chapter Three–**

**The Other Side**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

White. Nothing but white space all around.

Charity turned this way and that, but nothing new met her searching, brown eyes.

_'Scratch that,'_ she contradicted to herself in her thoughts, catching sight of an unfamiliar blonde-haired boy. He looked to be a teenager, but he was short–even shorter than she was, and that was including the platform shoes and golden antenna sticking out of the top of his hair.

"Um, excuse me?" she started, taking a step towards the youth, but no sound came out of her mouth. Surprised, Charity tried to move forward in an effort to get closer to the strange apparition standing in a daze before her. Her body refused to obey her. Whatever had control over her movements–as well as her voice box–had allowed her only that single step but nothing more.

Frightened, now, but determined not to reveal her fear, the dark-haired girl decided to try again. Her pale lips parted to speak, yet, as what happened before, nothing came out, but, this time, something _did_ happen.

The vibration in the back of her throat told her that she _was_, indeed, speaking, yet her ears could not catch what was said. Whatever had been uttered from her own throat, she had no idea what it was. Her lips formed words which she _knew_ she wasn't planning to say, but, whatever they had been, they had fallen on quite-literally deaf ears.

_'What the__–?'_ she started in her thoughts, but was instantly cut off by the sight of the boy's mouth opening and closing in speech in response to whatever it was she had uttered. Her eyes widened in evident surprise, unable to believe what she was seeing but could not hear. She could tell that the blonde's gaze was not focused on her but seemed to stare straight _through_ her. Whether or not she whirled around on her own volition or on the strings of someone else's, she responded readily to that blank expression on his face. She spun around to face something she had failed to notice before. How the hell had she missed _that_?

A huge set of black double doors towered over her and the stranger behind her. Architecture in the shape of humans crawled all over their surface, twisted in ways which the human body should not be able to bend. Expressions of agony and grief were frozen in place on each of those faces as they held together those enormous dark gates. They were shut but, nonetheless, gave off such a horrible feeling that it sent trickles of fear down her spine. And it took a _lot_ to make her afraid. . . .

_'Wh-What _is_ that thing?' _she spoke in her mind since she was unable to voice her thoughts aloud. Her legs moved against her will, bringing her closer and closer to the grotesque vision. Ice-cold fear fell into the pit of her stomach, crawling just beneath her skin. She did not want to go anywhere near that thing, but her body vehemently acted against her, even going so far as to _stomp_ towards the gateway. Both her hands reached out, pale-skinned fingers sliding into the wide crack between the large slabs of black stone. With every ounce of strength in her body, she used brute force to yank open the heavy doors. Once open, she stood in front of what appeared to be living and breathing shadows. An emotion she could only identify as anticipation swamped her suddenly, surprising her with the unexpected feeling.

"Take me to Hohenheim!" her mouth moved in accordance with the words, but it was not her voice that called out to all those eyes which had appeared in the inky darkness. Familiarity hit her when she tried to identify the owner of the voice, but hers was mingled with it so she couldn't make it out clearly enough. Besides that, she was a little preoccupied as hundreds of tiny, black hands came out of the mass of violet eyes and curled around her waist and arms. With a yank, she was brought careening into the void, long brunette hair whipping against the sides of her face with the wind occupying the space inside. Ugly streaks of bright-yellow light formed a tunnel which she was forced into. The black hands on her body suddenly shrunk, transforming into miniature chubby human-things the greatly reminded her of babies. Their wide violet eyes stared in wonder as their apparently-sharp little claws dug ruthlessly into her skin. For some reason, the wounds didn't hurt, but she could visibly see the damage they were causing as bits of her skin rapidly vanished into thin air. Rage churned in her gut, effectively drowning out whatever trepidation she was feeling at the moment regarding these odd creatures. Charity snapped them off her, her voice box vibrating in her throat, but her ears had, once again, gone deaf.

A white light engulfed her, and she felt bones shift and muscles elongate before it disappeared. It kept happening now and then, until all those things had been thrown off due to the brightness of the light. It finally stopped and, now, Charity felt free and graceful. She couldn't see her arms or the rest of her body, but, by that point, she really didn't care. Those creepy creatures were off her now, and that was all that mattered. Determination burned in her eyes although she had no clue where she was headed. A bright white light ahead informed her of the trail's end. With a burst of speed, she barreled towards it, intent on discovering what her destination might be. . . .


	4. Darkening Days

_Disclaimer: I do not own _FullMetal Alchemist_. I do own the OCs who don't show up in the show._

_Crimson: I'm really sorry to all my reviewers for not updating this in such a long time T.T Good news, though: I've come up with a schedule, of sorts, which will cause me to update much-more often. The new rule: I will update a fanfic within 2 days of a reviews!_

_READ ON!_

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**Chapter Four–**

**Darkening Days**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Charity awoke with a start, almost falling off the side of the tiny hospital bed. With blurry eyes, the young brunette studied the room she was in, fear and confusion evident in her face. White walls, ceiling, and floor was all that greeted her as she stared, shivering in the midst of her mussed sheets. Adrenaline burned away what remained of the sleep in her system as she took it all in, trying to remember where the heck she was at.

"The hospital," she finally recalled, breathing out a sigh of relief as she clasped her forehead. Running her pale fingers through her dark hair, she grimaced at the many knots she found there. Her scalp felt greasy and her skin had grown tight with a combination of dirt and sweat. Overall, it was a highly-unpleasant sensation. "Ugh…" A shower or a bath sounded very appealing right about now…

Disregarding the strong desire to get clean, Charity turned her thoughts back to that strange dream she had. What _was_ that? It felt so real, as if she had actually _been_ there to witness it…yet, at the same time, she felt _separated_ from it all. If seemed like a memory, but not a memory at the same time. Had it been _someone else's _memories? But then how would _she_ be able to see another's memoirs? That just wasn't possible.

She sighed again, the start of a headache throbbing at her temples. Perhaps it would be for the best to forget it all together. Trying to make sense of it would do no good without more information… A migraine was all that would come of it…

Letting the matter drop, the young woman decided to figure out what time it was. With a glance at the curtained window, she instantly knew she had awoken sometime around dawn. The curtain was still drawn, indicating that the nurses had yet to pull it back and let that awful sunshine into the room. A golden halo, however, peeked into the hospital room from around it's heavy white edges. Enough light filtered into the room that the names on the gifts at the foot of the bed could now be read. Feeling like a child, Charity crawled over to them, shaking off the sheets which still smelled faintly of Envy. Her curiosity was an ever-present thing. It may get her killed one of these days, but, for now, she would continue to satisfy it…

Just as she was reaching out a hand to select the first object-a box as large as her hand wrapped in a paper depicting brightly-colored palm trees-Charity's sharp hearing caught the telltale sounds of shoes hitting the tile out in the hallway. Her instant, gut reaction was to jump back into bed and pull the covers all the way to her chin, so she did just that. Her eyes closed in a pretense of sleep just as her door creaked open.

"Ah, she's asleep," a woman's voice floated into the girl's ear. Charity had to force the frown from creeping onto her face at the beautiful melody she possessed. Jealousy churned in the pit of her stomach at the thought of her own childish-sounding vocals.

The woman wore a white, V-necked nurse's gown-the old-fashioned type. Her long, golden curls were pulled severely back in a low bun, leaving only a few stray wisps to frame her heart-shaped face. She wore very little make-up, but she didn't need it anyway. Her genes must have been quite good because her peach-colored skin was flawless.

She stepped into the room, motioned with a delicate hand behind her to usher the second woman inside.

"Come on, we need to check the stock on everything in here," she urged her companion. In her arms she carried in a bag filled with towels, toilet paper, soap, and other essentials she deemed necessary for a young lady. She proceeded to move about the room to put the items in their prospective places, black heels clicking on the tiled floor which Charity tried her best to ignore. Her companion, meanwhile, had a beautiful arrangement of flowers in her arms-a gift the nurses had gotten together to give to their youngest patient on this floor. Charity was no stranger to this hospital, and many of the nurses knew her well, though she kept to herself. After hearing the latest news from the doctors, however, the display of roses and lilacs were the least they could do…

"Oh my," the second woman finally spoke, this one sounding much younger than the first. She had light-brown hair which was pulled back in a long ponytail. She was a newbie and, thus, had never met the young woman lying on the bed before her, though she'd heard the stories from the other nurses. Her pale-blue eyes fell upon the girl's too-thin frame, pitying the child. A noticeable edge of sadness colored her tone as she spoke and the "sleeping" brunette could all but hear her heart breaking. "What a pretty little thing!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice. The younger nurse set the vase she was carrying onto the bedside table before turning to the patient. Within seconds of her words, Charity felt fingers petting her hair. "She's so young…"

"Yes, it's a shame, isn't it?" the first woman replied, equally somber. "She looks so much like my 10-year-old that it's hard not to feel like a mother to her…" the blonde trailed off, setting the final item-a can of cream soda (Charity's favorite drink)-next to the flowers. Her full lips caressed the girl's forehead as she leaned down to give her a motherly kiss. "Poor thing," she breathed over the pallid skin before straightening back up.

"She just so _thin_…" the brown-haired nurse mused as she, too, stood up after giving one last pet to the girl's soft hair. "It's just not fair…"

"Yeah, I know," her superior agreed, placing a comforting hand on the younger woman's back as she led her out of the room. "Death takes everyone-young and old. Even younger than this one," she continued, trying to get reality across for her companion. This had been her choice to become a nurse. Some people they could save; others…they made as comfortable as they could… Her bottle-green eyes drifted off to the girl lying still in the hospital bed behind them as she stood in the doorway. "Life may not be fair, but, in death, everything is…" she repeated something she'd heard the girl say once before, less than a year ago, as she shut the door as quietly as she could.


End file.
